Amotz et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,521, discloses a method of preparing a water insoluble glucose insomerase product by concentrating and homogenizing microorganism cells to form a homogenized cell concentrate containing ruptured cells, reacting the homogenized concentrate with glutaraldehyde to form a coherent solid product and removing water and shaping the coherent product into a divided form.
Lee et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,086 discloses a process for converting glucose to fructose by contacting a glucose substrate with flocculated whole microbial cells containing glucose isomerase. The whole microbial cells are previously flocculated by means of a polyelectrolyte flocculating agent.
Long, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,596 discloses a method of forming an enzyme-containing aggregate comprising the steps of flocculating microbial cells and their associated enzymes with a synthetic polyelectrolyte flocculating agent, and drying the aggregate.
Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,597 discloses a method of forming an enzyme containing aggregate comprising the steps of flocculating microbial cells and their associated enzymes with a synthetic polyelectrolyte flocculating agent, freezing the aggregate, then thawing and crushing the aggregate.
Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,086, Long, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,596, and Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,597 also state that the flocculated cells may be extruded into various shapes suitable for use in an enzymatic process.
The processes disclosed in these patents are unsuitable for preparing immobilized glucose isomerase derived from the microorganism Actinoplanes, specifically Actinoplanes missouriensis. Homogenized Actinoplanes missouriensis cells are difficult to dry and particularly are difficult to extrude because of their excessive retentivity of water. The retained water cannot be removed effectively by conventional drying means.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a process whereby flocculated homogenized Actinoplanes missouriensis cells can be dewatered to provide a dried immobilized enzyme.